Economy Blamed for Lackluster Seybold

BOSTON—The reviews for Seybold Boston 2001 are in, and the news isn’t good.

The talk of the 2001 show wasn’t about new products or emerging technologies. Instead, the exhibition’s low attendance seemed to be the foremost topic on everyone’s mind. Several exhibitors, who asked to remain anonymous, complained about the scarcity of attendees in their booths and in the show aisles.

But attendees weren’t the only ones lacking from the show floor landscape. Exhibitors were also among those missing in action. Some companies like the now-defunct Printbid.com are simply gone from the scene.

While other companies, like Collabria and Printable.com, chose to attend the show, but did not set up their booths. Collabria and Printable announced a technology sharing agreement at a joint press conference during Seybold Boston.

Still, other exhibitors decided to cut booth staffing levels and space at this year’s show, reported Seybold General Manager Gene Gable, who chalked up the show’s lackluster performance to the state of the U.S. economy.

Although final attendance numbers were not available at press time, Gable estimated that he expects the final attendance numbers to be around 15 to 20 percent lower than in previous years. “We heard over and over again that companies were putting restrictions on travel this year,” he says.

While in past years, companies may have sent teams of four or five people to the show, Gable notes that this year many companies were only sending one representative.

“The good news is that the folks that did come tended to be the decision makers and were serious about buying,” he remarks.

While attendance was down, sales leads were still strong, Gable contends. “Many exhibitors got as many sales leads as they normally do. But they did not have the traffic through their booth that they expected.”